Convection heater



May 2, 1950 M. J. WHELAN 2,506,257

CONVECTION HEATER Filed June 30. 1947 M4K T/N J. WHELHN,

IN VEN TOR.

ToR/VEY Patented May 2, 1 950 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE CONVECTION HEATER Martin .L Whelan, Glendale, Calif.

Application .lune 30, 1947, Serial No. 758,029

8 Claims. l

This invention relates to an improvement in convection heaters.

More specically speaking the invention pertains to the type of convection heater described and claimed in United States Patent No. 2,359,454 issued to me October 3, 1944.

The heating means ywhich forms the subject matter of said patent includes only a single heating element contained in a cabinet, which cabinet is movable into and out of an alcove provided therefor in a wall of the room; whereas by the present invention there is provided, without increasing the space required for the device, an additional heating element, namely, an encased heater which at all times remains stationary within the lower portion of the cabinet and which so functions as substantially to duplicate the heating eiilciency of the device.

Accordingly, among the objects of the present invention are to provide an increase of heat radiation in proportion to the amount of space occupied by the device; to provide a stationary andV movable heater housed in the same alcove; to provide a more durable supply conduit even though one of the heating elements is contained in a cabinet which is moved to and from a retracted position in relation to a wall alcove provided therefor; and to provide a superior air circulation for the device wherein entrained cool air is more rapidly converted into a current of heated air issuing into the room.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the device as installed for use, the plane of section being indicated byline vl-I of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2--2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the upper part of the device.

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail showing on an enlarged scale a part of the handle means for adjustably extending the cabinet from the alcove provided therefor.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section showing the manner in which the movable convector is bodily moved with the cabinet in which it is contained.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation as indicated by the arrows 6 6 in Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates in a general way a portion of the wall structure of a room in which the heater is mounted. In

said wall portion a rectangular alcove 6 is formed having surfaced studding 1 at its sides, an outer back wall 8, a top wall formed by a window sill `9 and having its bottom formed by the floor I 0 of the room.

Within said alcove, lining its back, top and side walls is an asbestos sheet II and inside of said asbestos sheet is a sheet metal lining I2, the top portion of said sheet metal lining being provided with a flange I3 slightly overlapped by a moulding I4.

'Ihe heating elements hereinafter described are supplied with compressed heating fluid by an upstanding supply pipe I5 extending up into the alcove 5 through the floor It to a point adjacent to the top of the alcove. At said point said pipe carries an L-itting I3 which is swivelly connected to a like fitting II, the latter fitting carrying an air valve I8. From said fitting I'I eX- tends downw-ardly a pipe I9 the lower end of which connects with an L -tting 2D which in turn connects with a horizontal pipe 2l carrying a series of radial heat radiating ns 22. At the left hand side of the structure as viewed in Fig. 1 the pipe 2| is connected by means of a T-tting 23 to a pipe 24 corresponding to the aforesaid pipe I9. Said pipe '24 leads into an L-tting 25 swivelled to lan L-tting 26, the latter iitting being concented to the stationary delivery conduit 21 which is a mate of the aforesaid -conduit I5.

A heater 29 is formed by the pipe 2I and its iins 22, this heater being pendulously supported by the pipes I9 and 24 and their swivel connections II and 25. Said heater is always contained within a metal cabinet v3| which is bodily movable into and out of the upper portion of the alcove `5 by means of a handle 32. Said handle extends radially from a shank 33 provided with a radially projecting pin '34. Projecting forwardly from the back wall of the sheet metal lining in a xed relation thereto is a sleeve 35 having a longitudinal slot 36 with a row of recesses 31 at one side thereof. The aforesaid pin 34 of the handle shank 33 is individually engageable with said recesses for securing the cabinet in closed, intermediate and fully open positions.

The means for keeping the pin `3ft retracted in one or the other of the recesses 31 is shown in Fig. 6 and consists of a spring metal wire 318 having one end extending diametrically through the shank 33 and having its free end frictionally Icontacting a stop 39. When the handle is turned so as to flex the wire 38 to the dotted position shown in Fig..6 the pin 34 may be moved simultaneously with the cabinet to the recess selected whence upon releasing the handle the spring wire assumes its normal full line position slightly under tension.

In order to move the cabinet and heater contained therein in unison the outer end of the T-tting 23 has screwed into it a plug 4B, said plug in turn having screwed into it a cap screw 4I the shank portion of which occupies a vertical slot 42 in one of the end walls of the cabinet 3I. The cabinet is guided in its outward and inward movements by means of an upper and lower guide plate and rail structure 43 and 44 which is duplicative of conventional ling cabinet drawer guide means now in use.

The upper part of the cabinet is provided in each end wall 45 with a horizontal slot 46 to aord a clearance for the pipe fitting I1 (or 25) when the cabinet is retracted. Also, in the back Wall 48 at each end is a cut-out 49 to afford a clearance for the pipe I9 (or 24).

In the lower part of the alcove 5 is a stationary convector heater' 5I consisting of a horizontal pipe 52 carrying radial ns 53, this heater being of the same pattern as the aforesaid heater 29. Said pipe branches off from the vertical supply pipe I5 being united thereto by a fitting 54. Said fitting is of a conventional character and has within it a baille 55 which diverts a portion of the incoming heating fluid from pipe I5 into the heater 5I. At the left hand end of this heater as viewed in Fig. l is a similar tting 55 which connects said pipe 52 with the delivery pipe 21.

In front of the heater 5I is a grill plate 51 to admit cool air from the lower portion of the room into the alcove 5. Another grill 51a is provided in the horizontal top wall of the cabinet to form a heated air outlet for air which has previously entered through the open lower end 58 of the cabinet.

When the cabinet is in the extended position as shown in Fig. 2, the cool air enters the opening 58 in the bottom of the cabinet and after becoming heated by the heater 29 passes upwardly through the grill 51a. As the heated air passes through the grill 51a it creates a suction in the lower portion of the alcove which entraine cool air through the grill plate 51 thence past the heater 5I and upwardly to pass out through the opening 6B through the upper part of the aforesaid plate 48, to augment the current of heated air issuing into the room through the grill 51a.

It will be observed that the heating fluid passes upwardly into the stationary lower heater 5I and passes downwardly (through swingable pipe I9) into the swingable upper heater 29. Therefore the heat-exchange medium takes a zig-zag course through the heat-exchangers, both these heaters being assembled in a compact manner in a single structure. The movable heater is swingably supported by its feed pipe I9 and outlet pipe 24 so as to be swung outwardly from the retracted position wherein it is superjacent to the stationary heater 5I. The air is fed from the room into the alcove 5 through the grill 51, and after passing up through the alcove and extended cabinet returns, in a heated condition into the room through the grill 51a in the top of the cabinet.

The heat from the movable heater is not restricted as it passes out through the grill 51a at the top. Also, the heated air travels much faster in this part of the structure than Aduring its ascent through the lower part of the alcove 5 and the ascending air current in the extended cabinet entrains and speeds up the heated air current in the upper part of the alcove 5, providing a dual heated air current, making the device more efficient in operation.

I claim:

1. `In a heater of the kind described, a cabinet insertable into the upper portion of a wall alcove, guide means to guide said cabinet while being moved horizontally from and to a retracted position in relation to the part of said alcove into which it is insertable, a stationary heat convector located in the alcove below the space occupied by said cabinet when the latter is retracted, an at all times stationary conduit leading upwardly into said alcove, said conduit having a branch supplying heating fluid to said stationary convector, said conduit having an upward extension leading into the upper part of said alcove, a heat convector mounted in the lower portion of said cabinet to move out and in therewith, a conduit swiveled to said upper conduit extension and leading thence to said heat convector in the cabinet, and outlet conduit means to complete the flow of the heating fluid through both of said heat convectors.

2. In a heater of the kind described, a structure containing an upstanding alcove the height and width of which is great in comparison with its front to back dimension, a cabinet movable from and to a retracted position in relation to said alcove, guide means in said alcove for said cabinet along which it is horizontally movable from and to a retracted position in relation to said alcove, heating means within said cabinet comprising a pipe in the lower part thereof extending in a generally horizontal direction, pipes communicating with the opposite ends of said horizontal pipe and extending upwardly therefrom to form therewith a pendulous cradle swingable with said cabinet from and to retracted positions, upstanding stationary supply and delivery pipes leading up into said alcove and terminating adjacent the top thereof, means swivelly connecting the upper ends of said cradle pipes to the upper ends of said supply and delivery pipes, stationary heating means in said alcove comprising a pipe extend-V ing in a subjacent parallel relation to the rst recited horizontal pipe when the latter is in its retracted position, said pipe of said stationary heating means communicating with said stationary supply and delivery pipes, and a grill plate upstanding from the floor of the room along the front side of said alcove to admit air thereinto to be heated by said stationary heating means, said cabinet having an open lower end which is positioned forwardly of said grill plate when the cabinet is in its extended position, to admit air from the lower portion of the room into said open lower end of said cabinet, there being an opening in the top of said cabinet through which the air heated by said cabinet heating means and said stationary heating means ascends when the cabinet is extended, said cabinet also having an open back portion.

3. In a heater of the kind described, a cabinet insertable into a wall alcove, guide means to guide said cabinet while being moved horizontally from and to a retracted position in relation to said alcove, a heat radiating means mounted:

in the lower portion of said cabinet to move bodily therewith into and out of said alcove, a stationary heat radiating means mounted in said alcove sub` jacent to said movable heat radiating means in said cabinet when the latter is retracted, and conduits extending upwardly through the bottom of saidv alcove to said stationary heat radiating means and thence upwardly and downwardly toA said movable heat radiating means to .convey a heating fluid to and deliver it from said stationary and said movable heat radiating means, said movable heat radiating means together with said downwardly directed conduits forming a pendulous cradle, and means to swivelly connect said cradle to the upper ends of the conduits which extend upwardly from said stationary heat radiating means.

4. In a heater of the kind described, a cabinet insertable into a wall alcove provided therefor, guide means to guide said cabinet while being moved from and to a retracted position in relation to said alcove, heat radiating means mounted in the lower portion of said cabinet, and pipes extending upwardly through the bottom of said alcove and thence upwardly and downwardly to said heat radiating means to convey a heating uid to and deliver it therefrom, said downwardly directed portions of said pipes being swivelly connected to the upwardly extending portion where they connect, said heat radiating means having a projection connecting one of its ends to said cabinet, said projection occupying a vertical slot in the cabinet whereby as said heat radiating means moves in an arc simultaneously as the cabinet is moved said projection moves up and down in said vertical slot, said projection comprising a screw and the shank of said screw being the part which occupies said vertical slot.

5. In a heater of the kind described, a cabinet, a heat radiating means carried by said cabinet and insertable into a wall alcove therefor, guide means to guide said cabinet and in turn said heat radiating means bodily horizontal from and to a retracted position in relation to said alcove, a stationary heat radiating means in said alcove below said movable heat radiating means when the latter is retracted, and pipes extending upwardly through the bottom of said alcove to said stationary heat radiating means to convey to and deliver therefrom a heating fluid, said upwardly extending pipes thence extending upwardly and then downwardly to convey a heating uid to and deliver it from said movable heat radiating means, said downwardly extending portions of said pipes being swiveled to said upwardly extending pipe portions, a grill plate upstanding from the oor of the room along the front side of said alcove to admit air thereinto to be heated by said stationary heating means, said cabinet having an open lower end which is positioned forwardly of said grill plate when the cabinet is in its extended position, to admit air from the lower portion of the room into said open lower end of said cabinet, there being an opening in the top of said cabinet through which the air heated by said cabinet heating means and said stationary heating means ascends when the cabinet is extended, said cabinet also having an open back portion.

6. A cabinet, a heat radiating means mounted in the lower portion oi said cabinet, said cabinet together with its heat radiating means being bodily movable horizontally from and to a retracted position in relation to an alcove housing a stationary heat radiating means, said cabinet and in turn the heat radiating means carried therein occupying a position superjacent to said stationary heat radiating means when the cabinet occupies a retracted position within the alcove, pipes extending upwardly into said alcove to convey heating fluid to and conduct it from said stationary heat radiating means, said pipes being continued upwardly and thence downwardly to convey a portion of the heating iiuid to and deliver it from said movable heat radiating means, the downwardly projecting portions of the pipes which convey the heating uid to and deliver it from said movable heat radiating means being swingable in relation to the said upwardly extending portions of said pipes, a grill plate upstanding from the iioor of the room along the front side of said alcove to admit air thereinto to be heated by said stationary heating means, said cabinet having an open lower end which is positioned forwardly of said grill plate when the cabinet is in its extended position, to admit air from the lower portion of the room into said open lower end of said cabinet, there being an opening in the top of said cabinet through which the air heated by said cabinet heating means and said stationary heating means ascends when the cabinet is extended, said cabinet also having an open back portion.

'7. The subject matter of claim 2, and a projec tion carried by and extending longitudinally outward from one end of said horizontal pipe and loosely occupying a vertical slot in said cabinet, whereby as said horizontal pipe moves in an arc as the cabinet is moved from and to a retracted position said projection moves up and down in said vertical slot.

8. The subject matter of claim rI and, said projection comprising a screw and the shank of said screw being the part which occupies said vertical The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,927,991 Pendleton Sept. 26, 1933 2,359,454 Whelan Oct. 3, 1944 

